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Unity in Sarawak will keep Umno out . . .

By Joe Fernandez

KOTA KINABALU : Many Sarawakians are apparently upset that Alfred Jabu, who is by no means that popular in any case, was not named to take over from outgoing Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud. Instead, Adenan Satem was named to replace him. There should be no issue here. If he’s willing to serve, let him serve. Keep an Oversight on him.

It’s ridiculous to suggest that since the non-Muslim Orang Asal make up the majority in Sarawak, the Chief Minister must come from that section of the people. There’s no law that states that the non-Muslim Orang Asal or the non-Orang Asal cannot be Chief Minister. There’s no law that states that only the non-Muslim Orang Asal must be Chief Minister. The Constitution is colour-blind.

The up[set Sarawakians are misreading majority, minority, democracy, the law and Constitution.

The only majority that matters in law is that reflected in the legislature on the ruling side. The only minority that matters are the losing votes in a seat in an election.

The majority or minority in the population or in the streets has no bearing in the legislature.

Democracy means the right of the majority in the legislature to rule and the right of the minority, the losing votes in a seat in an election, to be heard in the same legislature.

Taib could have picked Pesaka leader Jabu to replace him but he didn’t. Pesaka has fewer seats than the Bumiputera wing of the Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu in the State Assembly but that’s not an issue. There’s no reason why the Chief Minister cannot come from the smaller wing of PBB.

It’s unfortunate that Taib was given the mandate to choose his successor.

By right, the Constitution should be followed, and the state assemblymen should meet and elect the Chief Minister.

The bottomline is that no matter who becomes the Chief Minister in Sarawak, the emphasis should be on unity to keep Umno out of the state.

We know how Umno capitalized on disunity in Sabah to enter the state in 1990 and subsequently take over the Sabah Government in defiance of the Malaysia Agreement which stipulates that Malaya should have less than two-thirds of the seats in Parliament and of course no seats at all in the State Assemblies of Sabah and Sarawak.

Both Sabah and Sarawak should stay clear of Umno/BN and Pakatan Rakyat and instead group their 57 seats in Parliament into a 3rd Force.

The 3rd Force is an idea whose time has come.

If the 3rd Force can secure at least 50 seats from Sabah and Sarawak in Parliament, it can be a game changer.

The 3rd Force can support whoever is weaker in Parliament, PR or Umno/BN, to form the Federal Government without it being part of such a Government.

The 3rd Force can be in Government when it can initiate, form and lead such a Government in alliance with either PR or Umno/BN, whichever is the weaker.

In that case, the Prime Minister will be from the 3rd Force. Otherwise, no deal.

Sabah and Sarawak have a historical opportunity to either be King Makers or the King given that Malaya is politically split down the middle and things will stay that way for a very long time to come. The split signifies the end of politics in Malaya.

That’s why the parti parti Malaya are in Borneo to steal seats at the expense of the local people. They steal seats not only in Parliament but also want to steal seats in the State Assemblies as well. On the one hand, they want to divide and weaken the voice of the Borneo people in Parliament and the State Assemblies. On the other hand, they want to add the strength of Sabah and Sarawak to their own in Parliament and the State Assemblies.

The parti parti Malaya operate in Sabah and Sarawak through local opportunists who are willing to be traitors as their proxies, stooges and rogue elements in return for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver.